This is a good book. The two main characters are Veronica and Tomas. Veronica is trying to make to the Olympics as an equestrian. Tomas is the manager of the horse stables on his family’s ranch. Veronica brings her horse to train because Tomas’ family’s ranch is remote. There is an instant attraction when they meet. They start to get know each other. They start dating. They fall in love.

3.5 stars
Thank you to @readforeverpub for the digital ARC. I didn't get to read it before pub date, so I added it to my #backlistbooks24 challenge. I've been on a cowboy romance kick lately, reading books by Elsie Silver and Lyla Sage. What makes The Cowboy Whisperer stand out is the representation of Mexican-Americans and Mexicans. I loved all the little Spanish words and the big family celebrations. The Ortega family is pretty great and I want their family recipes. There were a few predictable moments and I felt like one aspect of the ending was a little unbelievable, but overall it was a fun rugged ranch read with great Hispanic representation and a hot cowboy..

I do love me a cowboy. Make him a broody Mexican-American cowboy with strong family bonds, a special connection to horses, and a once broken, now wary heart and I am all in. Plus, bonus, he has brothers!

Sabrina Sol has created an enjoyable contemporary romance with two main characters who have both been hurt by love. I enjoyed their journey from adversaries to lovers, with a fake relationship that gradually grows into friendship, thrown into the mix. Veronica and Tómas each have flaws, familial complications, and emotional baggage that make them both realistic and relatable. Each has an emotional journey of growth to complete individually as well as part of a couple. Sol guides them through it with a deft hand. The banter between them is lively, as is the initial friction that morphs into an undeniable attraction. They're opposites in many ways but alike in others, sharing commonalities, such as their love of horses and of family. I could feel the feelings that slowly grow between them even when they are at odds.

I really enjoyed the Mexican-American representation of both families in this book. Sol has included traditions, (drool-worthy) food, and Spanish language that give the characters and their storylines a rich cultural authenticity. It brought them to life for me, eliciting a deep appreciation for their history as well as their present-day lives.

The Cowboy Whisperer is the second book in this series but stands well on its own. Even though the lead couple from book one, Second Chance at Rancho Lindo, feature prominently in this book I never felt lost or confused for not having read their story. However, once I met them I knew I'd be diving into their book too. I hope we'll continue to see the evolution of both couples' relationships as the series moves forward.

*ARC received from publisher
Fair and unbiased review

All the good cowboy romance vibes were here. I loved this one and will be watching for Sol's next book to add to my collection!

A great cowboy romance, that I would definitely recommend to those who think it sounds good!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Enemies to Lovers
Fake Dating
Workplace Romance
Closed Door
3rd person Dual POV
2.5 ⭐️rounded up

I wanted to read this book because I was pulled in with a Cutting Edge movie vibes but with equestrian competition. I was disappointed because it didn’t live up to that expectation. It was a quick and easy read. I unfortunately didn’t feel any chemistry between the MCs in the first half and when they started fake dating and having real feelings it still lacked chemistry. I enjoyed Tomas character, he was very dedicated to his family and his passion for the family farm and working with horses. I absolutely loved that this had Latin MCs and lots of Hispanic foods and language. Thank you Forever for the review copy, it was much appreciated especially since I requested after the pub date.

After you fall off a bike, you need to get back on. The same with horses, love, a career ...etc. That is life and you need to learn to do it to have a healthy, successful life. And that is what this story is about, a second chance at life for a cowboy and an equestrian jumper.

The story takes place on Rancho Lindo, Esperanza, California, a large fourth generation ranch. Santiago Ortega, the family patriarch, has pancreatic cancer, so the running of the ranch and keeping it in the black , has fallen on his sons' shoulders. They receive a request to allow an equestrian jumper, Veronica del Valle, to secretly train on the ranch, for a much needed fee. She had fallen off her horse in a competition 3 years ago, and now is ready to get back into the Olympic competition. But she has a new trainer, who rubs her and her horse the wrong way. She and middle son Tomas, do not get off on a good start, as he thinks she is high maintenance, and she thinks he is grumpy (which he is). He is an actual horse whisperer and he knows why she and her horse are not in sync. But will she listen to him? They form an uneasy alliance, until his old girlfriend, the one who broke his heart, comes home engaged. Veronica decides to pretend to be his girlfriend, becoming a cowboy whisperer. The Hispanic characters give a nice twist to the cowboy romance genre. Great character development, scenery descriptions and an engaging story.

I read a gifted advanced copy of this book offered by the Publisher via NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

The second book in the series but you do not need to read the first one. Here you have equestrian rider Veronica De Valle looking at competing again after three years. She or I should say her father has found an out-of-the-way ranch so there will be no distractions for her to prepare for the Olympic trials. When she meets Thomas Ortega she is surprised by his knowledge and the way horses take to him. Eventually, they start working together, and after his ex shows up at the ranch she starts with the whole fake dating and he plays along. This all works until he feels that he cannot offer her anything as just a lowly cowboy. There is so much more to this book which makes the story so good, the food which I know about, and even the language as well. With all of the characters from the first book plus a few others this is a good story and very much worth the read.

Okay, ordinarily there is no way that I would read a cowboy romance; it’s just not my thing, but…. I got an email from Forever and this book was in the list, and it mentioned 1992’s The Cutting Edge, and that was it - I was immediately sold. Immediately (I absolutely loved that movie when it came out and forced my teenagers to watch it with me, and while they weren’t particularly impressed, my own love has remained) and I requested it right away.

Thankfully, I was approved and began to read. Again, cowboy romance has never been appealing to me, so I was rather surprised by how much I enjoyed this one and cared about the characters - I'll be reading more by Ms Sol.



Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the DRC

Veronica is a champion equestrian who, after suffering both personal and professional losses, goes to Rancho Lindo to train and, hopefully, qualify for the Olympics. Rancho Lindo is a family-owned ranch, which is the perfect place for her to hide from the media. There she meets Tomas, the stable manager, whose family owns the ranch. At first, Tomas thinks Veronica is spoiled and hard to deal with, but with time and learning more about her, his attitude slowly changes. When she agrees to be his fake girlfriend in exchange for a favor, sparks fly.

I love cowboy romances, so this was perfect for me! Veronica and Tomas make an amazing couple, and their romance is a slow burn, which I think is the best. I love the Ortega family and their family meals. Reading about the delicious food they were preparing and eating made me want to be right there with them.

If you are looking for a slow burn romance with a kind of enemies to lovers vibe, this is the book for you. I believe this is the second book in the series, and I hope there are more to come. I know there are more brothers in the Ortega family to pair up, so I would be interested to read about them.

Veronica de Valle, a champion show jumper has just recovered from a debilitating injury and is ready for a comeback. Her goal was to qualify for the Olympics in equestrian (show) jumping. The plan was to train at a remote ranch and money was no object. After all, her father Enrique de Valle was a suave and well to do businessman.

It was Enrique’s idea to have is daughter train secretly and hidden from the public eye at Rancho Lindo – a family owned ranch set far enough away from the city so that Veronica could concentrate on training without distractions. Or so Enrique thought.

Tomás Ortega was the stable manager at Rancho Lindo. And even as his family needed the sizable income from the de Valle’s, he just couldn’t stomach the idea of a spoiled city girl staying at their ranch and having his whole family bending over backwards to accommodate Veronica’s needs. That is until he met her.

The Cowboy Whisperer is the second installment of the Rancho Lindo series. However, I had no problem reading it as a standalone. And it appears that each novel could be read in any order.

The story follows the enemies to lovers and fake dating tropes and I just loved how everything came together for a wonderful, feel good story.

The primary characters of Veronica and Tomás were nicely developed. Their individual personalities shined through in the novel with their banter and introspective thoughts. I didn’t care for Veronica’s father, Enrique, but that soon changed at the end when his paternal instincts kicked in over his business instincts.

There are quite a number of Spanish phrases and food references throughout the novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. But this may pose a distraction for some readers. But I found them to lend some credibility to the familial ties in their Latino culture.

Overall, The Cowboy Whisperer was a very enjoyable romance worthy of five stars.

I received a DRC from Forever (GCP) through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Thanks to Forever for my copy of The Cowboy Whisperer by Sabrina Sol. This is book number two in the Rancho Lindo series but can be read as a standalone. I need to go back and read the first book Second Chance at Rancho Lindo.

This is a sweet contemporary cowboy romance! I really enjoyed the story and the men of Rancho Lindo. It was fun to see the Hispanic heritage with both main characters having Mexican-American heritage. I like the Spanish phrases interspersed and all of the food references! The fake dating aspect was fun and I can't wait to read more from this series!

This book is my introduction to the author’s work; it is the second book in a Rancho Lindo series; the ranch has been in the Ortega family since the 1800s, since before California became part of the U.S. In the current generation, there are five brothers–all single, natch. It has always been expected that the brothers will eventually take over running the ranch from their father, only the timetable has been pushed forward unexpectedly after his cancer diagnoses. As it turns out that the ranch has been steadily losing money for years, all the brothers look for alternative ways to bring some income.

Tomás, known for miles around as a horse whisperer, is doing his part, trying to set up a side business offering first rate board and training for horse owners, when the Ortegas get an out-of-the-blue proposition they really can’t afford to pass up: board Verónica del Valle and her horse for three months, while she trains for an Olympics-qualifying competition out of the public eye.

Not only is the money her father is offering enough to make a difference, but if Verónica is happy with the stable and successful after her stay, she could easily direct more high-end clients their way, which would establish Tomás’s little sideline as a viable business on its own.

Which sounds great, but is much easier said than done, given Tomás’s and Verónica’s instant mutual dislike.

For her part, Verónica didn’t expect the accommodations to be so rustic, the stable manager to be so hostile, or to struggle so much to adapt to the new trainer her father hired–the only one who would accept to work with her

I know too much about the many subsidies, tax breaks, and preferential loan terms for farms in the U.S. to buy the whole “we are struggling for money” part of the story–especially because the author didn’t tie it with medical debt. That, I would have believed in a heartbeat. But as that’s just background, and genre romance as a whole has a fixation with ranching and farming as noble occupations, we’ll move on.

The real McGuffin of the story is Verónica’s training; after a bad fall in competition a few years before, she is struggling to get back to the top of her form. She blames her new trainer, but in fact there’s a lot of unprocessed trauma behind her poor performance–she doesn’t trust herself or her horse, despite what she tells herself and others.

When she witnesses Tomás working his magic, turning an aggressive and poorly trained horse into a calm and well-behaved mount, she decides that he’s the one to help her get over whatever invisible obstacle is holding her and Takuache, her horse, back.

Things are complicated because there are a bunch of secrets people are keeping from one another: no one but the family know about the senior Ortega’s cancer; Verónica is training at their ranch mostly to stay under the radar of sports reporting, so everyone outside the ranch thinks she’s an old friend of Nora, Gabe Ortega’s fiancée and the horticulturist developing another of the money-making sidelines the brothers are exploring; and Verónica can’t afford to fire her trainer, so Tomás is supposed to be her secret, “after hours”, trainer.

And then, Tomás fumbles and tells his ex, who’s coming to town for a few days with her own fiancé, that he too is seeing someone–whereupon he and Verónica more or less stumble into fake-dating, and it all snowballs from there.

The writing is straightforward and serviceable, though there is some unnecessary repetition; we get the backstory from the first book a couple of times in as many chapters; Verónica rehashes her mother’s death a couple of times, and so on.

There is a lot of Mexican family culture in the text that rings true, from the three generations of the family living under one roof, to the dynamics between generations, to everyone being in everyone else’s business. And of course, there are a lot of mentions of Mexican cuisine, from simple breakfast foods to more elaborate dishes, and food is subtly used to show love between family members.

Now, remember how I said above that Verónica’s training is a McGuffin? This part of the worldbuilding is handwaved far too much for my taste.

As the novel start she’s three short months away from a competition to qualify for the Olympics, and other than her internal dialogue about how her trainer sucks, any training happens off page, and any urgency due to the short deadline waxes and wanes depending on what the romantic plot requires.

Also, I never felt that the author knew enough about the show jumping at any level, let alone as a competitive sport; more that it was something that could conceivably be tied to a ranch, because horses.

On top of which, despite the fact that Tomás is around thirty years old, and Verónica just a couple of years younger, emotionally they feel much younger. In fact, the whole “fake dating” thing is stupidly complicated and so juvenile one struggles to understand that so many adults would go along with it.

And that’s before Verónica’s father puts his oar in to force a third act separation.

In the end, however, my main problem with the book is that I never felt the attraction between the main characters. We are told, occasionally even from their internal dialogue, that they are falling for each other, but I just never got sexual tension, never mind luuurve, from their actual interactions.

And frankly, what Verónica needs is, first, to have a serious sit-down and clear the air conversation with her father about whose life this is anyway; second, to finish processing the trauma from the fall; and finally, to actually examine her own reasons for competing, and make some decisions about her own life.

None of these things actually happen on page; there is a jump between a grand-gesture from her father that involves Tomás, and the end of the book, and we are supposed to take it as a given that all is better now, but I wasn’t.

So the book fails for me at all levels: the characters don’t act their age; nothing about the show jumping angle gelled for me (in fact, there’s a line about it at the end that actively made me scoff), and the romance fell completely flat.

The Cowboy Whisperer gets a 6.00 out of 10

The ranch had been in their family for four generations.

The Cowboy Whisperer is second in the Rancho Lindo series, it's about a family run ranch with five brothers who are trying to keep it going in the face of financial troubles. You could start here, the first book introduces everybody, but this does a good job of not overwhelming but relaying the foundation for the family dynamics and setting. There is a continued storyline dealing with the father and his cancer diagnosis and treatment. This book spotlights Tomás, the ranch's stable master and the one everyone is worried about since his fiancee broke off their engagement eight years ago and he hasn't dated since. When his brother Cruz, who's the main one in charge, tells him they're going to have a guest on the ranch for three months, an equestrian jumper training for the Olympics, Tomás is less than thrilled.

Maybe Rancho Lindo wasn’t up to her standards. But Veronica del Valle was going to find out soon that not everything in this world was about her.

Veronica's mother was an equestrian jumper and when she died from cancer when Veronica was sixteen, she made a promise that she would compete in the Olympics in her mother's memory someday. Three years ago, Veronica fell during a jump, the physical and mental recovery had her isolating at her family's home in Guadalajara and had rumors spreading about her as the video of her fall went viral. Now, with some pressure from her father, she is ready to try again. Rancho Lindo isn't up to her standards but the stable master is giving her better advice than her trainer. She's also starting to see that she may not always know better and the initial dislike she had with Tomás is turning into something much different.

In that moment, Tomás wasn’t sure exactly what it was. But his gut told him that he was starting to see the real Veronica. And he liked her.

I thought the beginning of this started off with great possibility but the first half's pace, kept the story slow enough that I started to itch for something to happen. Around thirty percent Veronica and Tomás start to thaw to each other, as they talk and learn about one another. Veronica's not just the rich princess Tomás thought she was and he's not just the rude and grumpy stable master she thought him to be. There's some strain with Veronica and her new trainer, she has over the phone conversations with her sister that she seems to be close too and Tomás has the family drama to deal with, the stress of the ranch needing more money and then his ex-fiancée coming to town to celebrate her parents' anniversary. Tomás says, and it feels like, he's over his ex but when she calls him and tells him she's engaged and bringing the fiancé to the party, he finds himself lying that he has a girlfriend to stop any pity she might have towards him.

They might be on a pretend date tonight, but Veronica was starting to have real feelings.

A little over midway, the fake dating kind of happens, I say kind of because while the trope appears in the story, it didn't really feel a big part of it. Veronica sort of steam rolls in and introduces herself as Tomás' girlfriend, even when they had a previous conversation where Tomás said he didn't really feel comfortable lying to his ex and subsequently his parents and abuelita. Tomás then feels he's obligated to help Veronica with her training, even when he turned it down before because he didn't like that she wanted to keep it a secret that he was helping her. They spend a little more time together, go on a date with his ex, her fiancé, and his brother with his girlfriend (book one) and dance, which was just about the only time I felt these two had a romance connection. There's a picnic scene where we get a kiss (this was very closed door) and around eighty percent, Tomás is saying he wants this fake dating relationship to be for real because he loves her.

Then she remembered that she was Veronica del Valle and she never gave up without a fight.

I can't really say I bought into or felt the romance between these two and the slower first half and then the latter second half that had a rush of things happening with dealing with issues, Veronica's equestrian career and Tomás' fear of how it could ruin anything between them as it echoes how his ex left and he needs to stay on the ranch, made the story feel so uneven. Tomás' character also felt a little uneven to me, he seemed more stoic grumpy in the first half and then really disappeared in the second half with more of a paper doll getting moved from here to there. The romance wasn't as developed as I like and overall, the story fell off to feeling uninspired. I do really enjoy the setting of a family ranch, so I'm hoping the next brother's romance delivers on some sparks.

The Cowboy Whisperer by Sabrina Sol is the second of the Cowboys of Rancho Lindo series and quite a read. Cowboy romances are my favorites. The twist to this one is that most of the characters are Hispanic. The Rancho Lindo has been in the family since 1837, part of an original land grant from the King of Spain. It was tough going these days to keep it profitable but the whole family was totally invested. Tomas was the stable manager. Since he was nine years old it was obvious he had a way with horses. He was NOT Mr. Personality but was competent and hard-working and loved by those who knew him. Veronica was the daughter of a Mexican mogul and wanted to go to the Olympics. Three years earlier she had had an accident, the video of which had gone viral, and she thought she was ready to get back to it. The place had been recommended but when she arrived she saw Rancho Lindo for what it was: failing. Her father had hired a trainer for her and she immediately didn’t like him, but she was beginning to get the reputation of being difficult so she hung in. The more she watched Tomas at work, the more she knew he was the one for her. Both as her trainer and as he future.

A nicely put-together book, not so different from many romances and yet, very different. It was a thin plot. Every reader will know the conclusion after the first couple of chapters, and yet, the motivation to keep reading clearly exists. Tomas’ brothers all have endearing personalities as do his mother and grandmother. All clearly see how he feels about Veronica before he does. It was a fun read and a fun romance.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Cowboy Whisperer by Forever (Grand Central Publishing). Through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #ForeverGrandCentralPublishing #SabrinaSol #TheCowboyWhisperer

The Cowboy Whisperer by Sabrina Sol
Rancho Lindo series #2. Contemporary romance with Hispanic heritages and a handsome cowboy. Can be read as a stand-alone. Significant Spanish in the text such as greetings that are easily understood in the context. Fake relationship troupe.
After three years of being away from competitive equestrian riding, Veronica de Valle is ready to train again in hopes of making it to the Olympics. She agrees to train at a family-run ranch in Esperanza, California that has no connections to the circuit. It also is a bit sparse on luxury. What it does have is a stable manager that is part horse whisperer. He instinctively knows if a horse is hurting or why it may be refusing to follow instructions. Tomas Ortega impresses Veronica enough that her performance improves. She volunteers to pretend they have a relationship in front of his ex-girlfriend which soon turns to something real.

Two people, each hurt in the past, afraid to trust. It’s heartbreaking. I wasn’t happy with the manipulation by her father and the arrogance of the initial trainer. I was happy when Tomas has such success with the horses and that Veronica internalized it. In the end I was crying, first with sadness and they ultimately when the situation is made right.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

Absolutely loved this !!! Love story 💋
Cowboy 💋
Bipoc author 💋

When a book could make you feel cozy and wrapped up in the story and give a break from reality it is a keeper! So thankful for this ARC
4.5🌟

Ooolala those Ortega cowboys are smoking hot!
It’s Tomas’ turn to find his love. Years before his heart was shattered when instead of proposing his girlfriend broke his dreams.
Veronica also has broken dreams but she’s giving it one more shot. It took me half the book to warm up to Veronica because she gave testy vibes that screamed entitlement.
I liked the fake dating angle because I knew fake would turn into flames.
I’m ready for the next installment of the Randy Rancho Lindo lovers!

Thanksgiving break means I finally get some time to catch up on some romances!

Thank you @netgalley for the eARC of The Cowboy Whisperer by Sabrina Sol.

What I loved:
🐎 Tomás is such a lovable lead in this story. He is dedicated to his family, gentle with both the creatures and people that spit fire at those that try to help them, and is willing to admit when he's been wrong, all of this while being astonishingly handsome. I really loved a lot of Tomás's growth throughout.
🐎 I loved the capturing of the special moments surrounding food in this family. Whether it is around the table at family dinner or cooking with abuelita in the kitchen, relationships are forged and strengthened within this community.
🐎 Speaking of community, I really loved this crew of brothers. I didn't realize this was the second in a series, and now I really want to go back and read Gabe's story.
🐎 Veronica's relationship with her sister was really touching to me. Even though it was sisters and not romantic, I thought they really demonstrated what a healthy long distance friendship / relationship should look like.

What I struggled with:
🐎No spoilers, but the third act "decision" made by Tomás was so frustrating. Even in knowing why he did it, I felt like it went against his character growth.
🐎 I wish we got to see Veronica grow more, in both her training and as a person. I feel like there was a lot of build up to the two of them training together and then we didn't get to see it. I also feel like Tomás did a lot of work for this relationship that was not really reciprocated in Veronica.
🐎 Not every romance needs to be an open door romance and I absolutely appreciate that. I really loved the intimate moments between Veronica and Tomás in places like the club and at the engagement party. I selfishly wish we got to see more of those.

The Cowboy Whisperer is out this Tuesday, November 28th! Go snag your copy!

This is a quiet, closed-door romance, and I loved every minute of it. Tomas has dedicated his life to the horses at his family's ranch, Rancho Lindo. With the ranch in a precarious financial position, he is willing to accommodate the wealthy Veronica and keep her happy. Veronica is trying to avoid the public eye as she prepares for equestrian Olympic qualifiers. These two have past traumas, but they lean on each other to work through them in an open, even if at first guarded way. This is very much a slow burn, but the magic is in watching these two get to know each other and let go of first impressions. There is also a small section of fake dating that is handled so well that the transition to real dating is completely seamless and believable.

If you did not read the first Rancho Lindo books, you can still jump right in and not miss much, but if you did read the first book, we do get to see the couple from the first book here, and it is lovely. I very much loved this return to the world of Mexican-American cowboys.